Weather Numbers

Answer Bank

A. 1 B. 2 C. 3 D. 4 E. 5 F. 25 G. 35 H. 36 I. 40 J. 46 K. 54 L. 58 M. 72 N. 74 O. 75 P. 80 Q. 100 R. 910 S. 1000 T. 1010 U. 1013 V. ½ W. ¾

1. Minimum wind speed for a hurricane in mph 2. Flash-to-bang ratio. For every 10 second between lightning flash and thunder, the is this many miles away 3. Minimum diameter of a hailstone in a severe storm (in inches) 4. Standard sea level pressure in millibars 5. Minimum wind speed for a severe storm in mph 6. Minimum wind speed for a blizzard in mph 7. 22 degrees Celsius converted to Fahrenheit 8. Increments between isobars in millibars 9. Minimum water temperature in Fahrenheit for hurricane development 10. Station model reports pressure as 100, what is the actual pressure in millibars

Multiple Choices I

1. A dry line front is also known as a: a. dew point front b. squall line front c. trough front d. Lemon front e. Kelvin front 2. The semi-permanent high/low that is responsible for directing US hurricanes either up the East coast or into the Gulf of Mexico a. Icelandic Low b. c. d. e. Bermuda High 3. Leading edge of a thunderstorm downdraft a. Roll cloud b. c. gust front d. flanking line e. front sheared anvil 4. Typically, how long is the lifespan of a thunderstorm? a. Seconds to minutes b. minutes to hours c. hours to days d. days to weeks 5. Just prior to a cloud-to-ground lightning strike, the ground has this prevailing charge a. Positive b. Negative c. Neutral d. Overdraft 6. The air pressure within the eye of a hurricane is often so drastically different than surrounding air pressure, that the sea water level within the eye is: a. lower than the water outside the eye b. higher than the water level outside the eye c. unchanged relative to water levels outside the eye d. similar to that of a flushing toilet 7. Winds that follow isobar contours are called: a. Gradient Winds b. Geostrophic Winds c. Zonal Winds d. Isowinds e. Parallel Winds 8. Air mass originating in the Gulf of Mexico a. mT b. mP c. cT d. cP e. Ca

1

9. State with the highest occurrence of thunderstorms a. Hawaii b. Oklahoma c. Texas d. New York e. Florida 10. General latitude where the ITCZ is found a. 0-10 b. 30-40 c. 60-70 d. near each pole 11. When adjusting station pressure to sea level, the ratio is 1 mb for every ______meters. a. 5 b. 8 c. 15 d. 16 12. Nearly 50% of all flash flood fatalities are related to this… a. Trapped in a canyon b. Landslide/mudslide c. motor-vehicle related d. debris-related injuries 13. Which is NOT a form of obscuration: a. Fog b. Smoke c. Mist d. Rain e. Volcanic Ash 14. You are the base of a 2,000 mountain. The present temperature is 50° F. Before you hop on your bike you want to make sure you have the proper attire when you arrive at the summit. What is your projection for the summit temperature (in ° F)? a. 55.4° F b. 43.0° F c. 39.0° F d. 47.0° F

True / False

1. In the Northern Hemisphere, all semi-permanent highs and lows tend to shift northward during the summer 2. Air masses are defined by their point of origin. 3. There are 5 levels of the Enhanced Fujita Scale. 4. There are 5 levels of the Saffir-Simpson Scale 5. All microburst are downburst, but not all downburst are microburst. 6. The level directly below a “tropical storm” is called a “tropical disturbance.” 7. It doesn’t have to be raining to experience a flash flood. 8. The Venturi Effect explains why it is a bad idea to hide under and underpass from a . 9. The Lemon Technique, combined with radar images, helps determine thunderstorms strength. 10. Hurricane season in the Atlantic Ocean runs from June 1 to November 30. 11. Convergence is associated with low pressure and divergence is associated with high pressure. 12. If both parcels of air are uniform in temperature and volume, the moist air parcel is less dense than the dry air parcel. 13. The National Weather Service states that the number 1 weather-related killer in the US is heat-related fatalities. 14. The difference between a dust storm and a sand storm is the size of the particles in the air. 15. If the temperature outside is -5°F and the wind chill temperature is -31°F, then your car's radiator temperature will be -31°F 16. A key ingredient to hurricane formation is warm water and a strong upper wind shear. 17. A dart leader is a secondary lightning strike, made up of “leftover” static charges. 18. Generally speaking, the larger the hurricane eye, the more intense the hurricane.

2

Special Topics

Question #1, Identify in chronological order (oldest to most recent – 1 oldest, 4 most recent)

Hurricane Sandy ______East Coast Derecho ______Joplin Tornado ______Arizona Haboob ______

1. _____ - _____ - _____ - ______2. Hurricane Sandy is often referred to as the “Frankenstorm” because of this fact: ______3. Primary hazard created by the Arizona Haboob was this:______4. The Joplin tornado leveled their high school. What event had taken placed their less than an hour prior to the tornado touchdown? ______5. The East Coast Derecho actually started near Chicago, Illinois, effecting more than 13 states with high winds and power outages. What other meteorological “event” intensified its impact on the affected population? ______6. By definition, a Derecho produces severe storm level winds over a minimum expanse of ______miles. 7. What was the highest category achieved by Hurricane Sandy. ______

Short Answer

1. Rain-shadow side of a mountain range. 2. When warm air is above cold air 3. Scale greater than synoptic 4. Horizontal, slow spinning cloud behind a gust front 5. Death of a mid-latitude is called ______. 6. The “feeler” downward lightning 7. When water at the bodies surface begins to freeze 8. The Enhanced Fujita is based on ______, not wind speed. 9. Unique feature of a super-cell vs. non super cell thunderstorms 10. Wind direction is a result of pressure gradient and ______. 11. Pushes Atlantic hurricanes west to east. 12. The birth of a mid-latitude cyclone is called ______. 13. A low hanging, non-rotating cloud, often mistaken for a developing tornado is a ______cloud. 14. Similar to “Tornado Alley” this Southeast US area often spawns very unique and devastating tornadoes.

3